Data Collection Tools Your District Can Own and Customize

Presenters: Compass Learning Specialists Brady Licht and Dr. Ryan Young

Thursday, 10:30 to 11:20 a.m. in Room 3

Most walkthrough and observation tools cost thousands per year and lock your data behind a vendor’s platform. We build free, customizable data collection tools that run entirely on Google Workspace, and we’re giving them away. This session showcases three tools your district can deploy immediately: a Danielson-aligned classroom rounding tool, a behavior tracking and communication system, and a curriculum adoption rubric with a built-in dashboard. You’ll see each tool in action, learn how the dashboards surface patterns that help leaders make informed decisions, and leave with everything you need to deploy and customize them for your district’s evaluation framework and data collection needs.

Taming the Wild West of Student Use of AI

Presenter: Compass Learning Specialist Andrew Ley

Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. in Rooms 13-14

Should students use AI in our schools or is the risk to learning simply too high? District leaders everywhere are wrestling with this crucial question. This session explores what research says about student AI use and what responsible use can look like in South Dakota classrooms. Participants will examine grade-level appropriate strategies such as AI interviews, debates, and teacher-managed “walled garden” platforms that guide student AI use while preserving productive struggle and building durable skills.

AI Isn’t Coming—It’s Here: Are We Preparing Educators & Students or Playing Catch-Up?

Presenter: National Accounts Biotech/AI, Brandon Valley School Board Member & ASBSD Director Ellie Saxer

Thursday, 3:00 to 3:50 p.m. in Rooms 8-9-10

AI is already transforming how decisions are made; from classrooms to cutting-edge biotech shaping patient care. The question isn’t if education should adapt, but how fast. Drawing on real-world experience at the intersection of AI and science, this session delivers practical, no-fluff strategies to help educators work smarter, not harder, and to prepare students for a future that’s already in motion. Because standing still isn’t a strategy.